turtledovefandomcom-20200216-history
Harris Moffatt III
( defunct country) |birth = |occupation = Politician |parents = Harris Moffatt II |spouse = Jessica Moffatt |children = Harris Moffatt IV |family = Harris Moffatt I (grandfather) |type of appearance = Direct |political office = |species = Human}}Harris Moffatt III was President of the rump United States and the Prime Minister of the rump Canada left after the arrival of the Krolp. His grandfather, President Harris Moffatt I, had been able to escape Washington, DC early in the Krolp invasion, and so was able to keep the U.S. and Canada a going concern. His father, Harris Moffatt II, negotiated a peace treaty that allowed the rump U.S./Canada to exist for the next fifty years. Although born in the rump U.S., Moffatt was educated in St. Louis, the capital of the Krolp's North American territory. He soon learned that humans under Krolp rule saw free humans as hicks. For a time, Moffatt's education left him with this same dim view, but as time went on, he grew out of it. While the Krolp didn't precisely forbid free humans from learning from them, Moffatt's time in Krolp territory was as much to insure his father's good behavior. His older son, Harris Moffatt IV, also went to St. Louis for much the same reason. Upon the death of his father, Moffatt became president and prime minister. In the fiftieth year of the rump U.S., Moffatt received a Krolp embassy led by Prilk. Prilk informed Moffatt that the Krolp had discovered silver and a small amount of gold deposit deep below the surface of northeastern Utah, within U.S. territory, and demanded access to it. Moffatt, knowing that Krolp mining techniques would leave the U.S. uninhabitable, refused. Moffatt at first tried to use legal means, reminding Prilk of the treaty Harris Moffatt II had signed decades before. Prilk showed that the Krolp overlord had already overruled the treaty, and given permission to the North American govenor Vrank to dig for the precious metals. Moffatt nonetheless threatened to appeal, and then asked for a day to speak with his staff. Moffatt met with his Secretary of Alien Affairs (an office that had once been Secretary of State), his Secretary of Defense, and two Krolp renegades, Grelch and Willig. The Secretary of Alien Affairs advised that fighting would lead to the ruin of the U.S. The Secretary of Defense advised that not fighting would lead to the same result. Both Krolp suggested that the government should simply leave, and that the renegades would come with them. Moffatt sneered at this, reminding renegades that they had no place else to go, as their own people did not want them. Grelch seemed ready to attack Moffatt, until Moffatt pointed a Krolp weapon at him and threatened to kill him. Grelch settled down, but reminded Moffatt that the US, and indeed, all of humanity, were doomed. Moffatt decided not to pursue a direct war. The Secreatry of Defense had a second cousin who worked for the Krolp. However, this person had no use for the Krolp, and had managed to network with other Krolp subjects who were willing to engage in acts of sabotage. Moffatt hoped that between this strategy and military engagement, the Krolp might decide the silver and gold wasn't worth it. Both Grelch and Willig paid lip-service to the workability of the plan, but Moffatt understood that neither believed it. This course of action decided, the meeting came to an end. However, the Secretary of Alien Affairs lingered to speak with Moffatt alone. During a research trip to Mesa State College, the Secretary had reviewed the history of the Spanish conquest of the Inca six hundred years before. He learned that a group of Inca had fled into the mountains and established the community of Vilcabamba. He informed Moffat that Vilcabamba had remained more or less free for forty years before the Spanish obliterated it. Moffatt concluded that the U.S. had already gone on for longer than Vilcabamba had, and now it needed to keep going. The Secretary of Alien Affairs stated his agreement, and left. The next day, Moffatt again met with Prilk, and informed him that the Krolp could not have the silver and gold. Prilk left angrily after warning Moffatt of his foolishness. War did not begin immediately, however. Moffatt had plenty of opportunity to flee to Craig, Colorado, and initiate Plan Seventeen. While monitoring Krolp channels, Moffatt and his Defense Department learned that the Krolp Subgovernor of the South Central Region was taken to the hospital with an unknown illness (implicitly poisoned by one of the sympathetic humans in his staff). This soon spread to other Krolp officials and loyal humans, sometimes with fatal results. A Krolpish flyer went down, with more Krolp dead and injured. Bridges and overpasses also collapsed within Krolp territory. In response, the Krolp began marching on the Rockies and Wasatch Range. Most of the military power of the U.S. was centered around northeastern Utah, as a further deterent. After two days, the Krolp began to respond in earnest, after Govenror Vrank survived an assassination attempt. Grand Junction was destroyed. Almost immediately, Moffatt and his advisors moved further north, anticipating Craig would follow Grand Junction. By the third day, it was over; Krolpish forces earnestly began their drive into Utah, effectively routing all opposition, and mining shortly after taking the area. U.S. forces were overwhelmed and began surrendering in mass. Harris and his wife, Jessica fled into rump Canada. Twenty minutes after they crossed the border, they were captured. Despite Moffatt's efforts to hide his identity, the Krolp knew who he was. As he had also been a head of state, the Krolp did not execute him. He and Jessica were transferred to St. Louis, where he was interrogated. After truthfully giving the Krolp all the information he had, he and Jessica settled into exile life in St. Louis, and where he often remembered the Inca of Vilcabamba. Category:Prime Ministers of Canada Category:Prisoners